


Only an Act of True Love

by stars_will_fall



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: F/M, Frozen AU, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-03-06 02:32:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13401579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stars_will_fall/pseuds/stars_will_fall
Summary: When his twin sister accidentally sends the kingdom of Neverwinter into an eternal and sweltering hot summer only to run off on her own, what else is Taako supposed to do but grab his best friend and follow her.





	1. Sunrise

The morning sun rose quietly over Neverwinter that morning, casting a warm pink glow across the tops of the kingdom’s colorful shops. It reflected off the thick, fluffy layer of snow that had amassed overnight, the first of the season, and glittered like diamonds. In the cold, early morning, even the farmers remained in their beds, warm and safe. The streets, usually so busy saw no traffic, and the snow remained untouched for now. Neverwinter was silent. 

Well, mostly.

Taako woke in the cold, taking a moment to rub the sleep out of his eyes before frowning down at the heavy cotton blankets that must have slipped off him in the night. Forcefully, he yanked them back up, thinking momentarily of crawling back under their protection and sleeping as long as he was allowed. It was tempting, but he could see the sun just beginning to rise through his window. There was no way he’d get to sleep long. Instead, he slid out of bed and pulled his slippers on, adjusting his night gown on the way out of his bedroom door. If he was awoken this early, Lup would be too. It was only fair. 

Taako and Lup Taaco were Neverwinter’s pride and joy, a princess who was destined to be queen some day and the prince, her twin brother. They were still only children, but their brilliancy shone in their classes and on a day to day basis. Lup was a problem solver, compassionate, fair, level-headed, determined. Taako, though a tad bit more mischievous than his sister, was clever and quick. Nothing got by him. Together, they made a great team, and the people of Neverwinter were sure they always would. The kingdom had a brighter future than they could ever hope for.

Taako arrived at Lup’s room after a short trip downstairs to the servant’s quarters to fetch Barry, a servant boy in the castle and essentially their only friend. He followed Taako with little question, but it looked like he was still half asleep. Taako gave a sharp knock on Lup’s door, and when no answer came, pushed his way inside. She was still fast asleep, face buried in her pillows and hair a mess of tangles. Taako carried on anyway, leaving Barry to stand awkwardly in the doorway as he hopped up onto her bed. 

“Hey!” He hissed into her ear, “Hey, Lulu.” No answer other than the twitching of her ears. He narrowed his eyes and tried again, a bit louder this time. “Lulu. Lup. Wake up! Come on!” She groaned softly and grabbed a pillow, rearing back and smacking him with it as hard as she could. Taako fell back off the bed with a laugh. “Good morning.” 

Lup peeled her face off the pillow and turned to squint out the window for a moment then turned back to Taako at the side of her bed. He was smiling impishly and she couldn’t help but smile back. “It’s hardly morning, dingus. What are you doing in here,” She paused for a moment, squinting this time at her doorway, “and is that Barry?” 

Barry ducked his head in embarrassment, face flushing. “Uh, good morning, Lup.”

Before Lup could respond, Taako threw himself in front of her face. “The sun’s awake, so I’m awake.” He shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the word. In one quick motion, he grabbed Lup’s wrist and tugged her to her feet. “Now come on. We’ve got stuff to do before the whole castle wakes up.”  
She stumbled as she pulled on slippers and followed him out the door. “Like what? You’re not planning on stealing the breakfast pastries again are you? Last time, auntie was going to kill us.”

Taako scoffed. “Of course I’m not going to steal the pastries again. Those things are nasty. The crust is way too dry and flaky and the filling is overcooked and over sugared. If they’d just let me get my hands on anything in the kitchen I could show them how it’s done.”

“I think the pastries are pretty good when we get them,” Barry spoke up from behind them, earning a rather unimpressed look from Taako. 

“That’s because your breakfast is usually just, what, a hard-boiled egg and some toast?”

Even though Barry laughed and agreed, Lup elbowed Taako hard in the arm and whispered for him to be nice.

Taako led them downstairs and some ways down the hall before stopping at a door Lup wasn’t quite sure she’d ever been through. Then again, all the doors basically looked the same in this castle. He pushed them open, explaining that the room was never used and that meant they could get away with murder in here.

Lup looked around curiously in the dark. “So why exactly are we here?”

“Fireworks.” Taako looked at her expectantly. 

“Fireworks?” she echoed back at him, brows knit in confusion. It took a moment, but realization soon dawned on her face and then melted to a soft glare. “You mean to tell me you woke me up so I could keep you entertained?” 

Taako nodded enthusiastically, wrapping an arm around Barry’s shoulder. “Barry too. Come on Lulu, last time you did it, it was so cool.” 

“I’m not supposed to use magic without an adult, you know that. Auntie says it’s dangerous.”

“Lup please,” Taako whined. “Please. Please. Please. Pl-“

“Alright! Just a few.” 

Taako whooped loudly and plopped down on the floor, pulling Barry down with him. Lup frowned, still a little unsure, but Taako’s big smile and Barry’s adoring eyes did enough to bolster her confidence. She snapped her fingers and a lively orange flame appeared in the palm of her other hand. She tossed it up high into the room, glad for the tall ceilings. It hit its highest point and quickly, Lup sent another blast up. They collided and exploded into a shower of golden sparks. She giggled at the way Taako’s eyes lit up. Maybe she could do more than a few after all.

Before long before the firework show had lost its magic and Taako was asking for more. Lup happily obliged. She was having a blast, it was clear Taako was, and even Barry had loosened up to play with them a little. It’s not like they couldn’t handle themselves. She didn’t know what she had been so worried about. Lup pulled out every fun trick she knew, shaping the fire this way and that, changing its color, spelling things out in the air with its smoke. She and Taako even dared to jump through hoops made of the stuff. 

“Hey, let’s try this. I’ll run and you make obstacles for me to go through okay? Stuff I can jump over or through or something. It’ll be awesome!” Taako looked happy, so she agreed and soon she was cracking up as he ducked under bridges of flame and sailed through hoops. Only problem is, he was going a little too fast. When Taako tripped, Lup couldn’t stop her magic in time and what was supposed to become a long line of flame for Taako to hop over ended up hitting him instead. When Taako hit the ground, he was limp and lifeless.

Barry and Lup gasped simultaneously and Lup rushed to Taako’s side, scooping him up. “Koko, are you alright? Taako come on this isn’t funny. Wake up. This is a really bad prank.” She was shaking and scared now, tears welling up in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to hit you I swear! You can have my dessert for a week. No, a month. Just please wake up.” 

“Lup,” Barry moved over to her side, but as he reached out for her the ground beneath him crackled with magic and a sheet of pure black glass spread from where Lup sat, enveloping the marble floors. He jumped back from it with a yelp. “I’m going to go get your aunt. Don’t move.” With that, he rushed off, leaving Lup to continue sobbing into her brother’s hair.

It felt like forever before anyone came to help and when they did the scene somehow looked worse. The entire room seemed to be made of a glass as black as the streak of hair that now rested in the rest of Taako’s white-blonde braid. When she saw her aunt, Lup’s lip quivered and the tears began to flow anew. “Auntie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt him.” 

Her aunt sighed and carefully picked Taako’s limp body up off the floor. Lup was reluctant to let go of him, but she knew this was probably best. “He’s burning up. We need to get him help. Lup, go pull on your shoes and jacket. You too, Barold. Be quick.” She carried Taako off to get a carriage for their journey.

Lup choked back a sob and Barry quickly pulled her into a tight hug. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.” Lup could feel that he was crying himself and squeezed him a little tighter. Taako and he were friends, he must be almost as scared as she was. 

“I’m so so sorry, Barry.”

“I know. It’s going to be alright.” He gave her a small smile and walked her up to get her coat and shoes, not worrying much about his own. They hurried out to the carriage the others waited in, and as soon as they were seated it took off through the snow. 

The ride was long and bumpy, a road not often traveled through the woods. In any other circumstances, Barry and Lup would sit back and appreciate the snow still falling from the sky and gathering on the trees, but neither could find it in themselves to think of anything but Taako’s safety. Lup kept a hand on him the whole ride. 

They finally came to a stop in a clearing with a small frozen pond and a homey little cottage. The sound of their horses must have made the residents aware of their arrival, because as they came to a stop a little boy around Taako, Lup, and Barry’s age peeked out of the window. When he made eye contact with a still teary Lup, he disappeared from sight. A few moments later, the front door opened and a tall woman stepped out, warmly dressed with a pair of knitting needles and a half finished scarf still in hand. 

Lup watched her aunt pick Taako up once more and step out of the carriage with him, bringing him up to her. She touched his head lightly and pulled her hand back again with a look of worry. Taako was handed off and her aunt gestured for she and Barry to come inside.

The cottage was warm and cozy on the inside, and despite the circumstances of their visit, Lup felt comforted here. Taako was laid out on a small bed in the corner, an ice soaked towel lying over his forehead. The woman from the doorway introduced herself as Istus and with a gesture behind her introduced her wife, Raven, their son and the boy from the window, Kravitz, and lastly, their apprentice, Lucretia. Lucretia, she noted, was going to be helping Taako today. 

“It’s far from Taako’s time yet, darling,” raven supplied once they’d all been given hot mugs of tea to help warm them up after their long trip, ”but that doesn’t mean you don’t still have to be careful.” Lup hung her head only for Raven to rest a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Have you always had these powers?”

Lup nodded. 

“Then you must know how special they are.” Lup nodded again. “They should be treated that way. Great power can be dangerous. It demands to be respected. Carelessness and fear will never do anything but harm.” 

Lup nodded again, softer this time. “I understand.” 

Lucretia cleared her throat from where she’d been working at Taako’s side. “His temperature is returning to normal. He should be in good health again come morning.” 

Lup blinked, a hopeful smile spreading across her face. “That quick? What did you do?” 

Lucretia pushed Taako’s hair away from his face and stood, almost bumping into Kravitz who’d been watching Taako closely and who Lup was sure hadn’t said a word since they’d arrived. He quickly backed up to hide behind one of Istus’s legs with a mumbled apology. Lup thought idly about how she’d never understood shy kids. 

Lucretia came to sit in front of Lup and Barry. “Well, because it was his head, it was a bit easier. If you had hit his heart, I’m not sure there is much I’d be able to do for him.” Lup frowned, but Lucretia continued on. “I had to remove the magic, but I left all the fun I promise.”  
“What do you mean?” Barry was the first to ask, pushing his glasses up on his nose. 

“He won’t remember Lup has any kind of magic when he wakes up. It’s for the best.” Lucretia laid a hand over Barry’s. “I think it would be best if I did the same for you.”

Barry’s eyes widened, his hand jerking away from her, and he looked to Lup who just looked confused. Her aunt supplied the explanation he was looking for. “Barold, it’s not safe for you children to be playing with such powerful magic. We’ve seen what it can do. This way, we don’t have to worry about any of you getting hurt.”

“I-I don’t want to forget. I didn’t get hurt. I’m fine. I won’t bother Lup about it again. Cross my heart.” 

“Barry please, it’s easier this way.” Lup’s aunt sighed and gave Lucretia a little nod. Lucretia took his hand once more and he slowly drifted off to sleep, fighting against forgetting the entire way. Lup’s hand found his and gave it a gentle squeeze, hoping somehow to reassure him in his sleep. If auntie said this was what’s best, it must be. After what Lup had been through today she felt in no place to argue it. 

Soon, Lup found herself seated back in the carriage between her twin brother and their best friend, both still fast asleep, both lacking any memory they had of her magic. Raven and Istus waved to them from the door of their cottage and she could just barely make out Kravitz peeking out from in between them. 

The carriage ride home was silent, but during this silence Lup made an important decision. If Taako and Barry were in danger when they were with her, then they just wouldn’t be with her anymore. They had each other they’d be alright if she disappeared into her room.

The last memory Taako had of his sister was waking her up one sunny morning to play.


	2. For the First Time in Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lup's coronation day finally upon them, Barry and Taako can finally contain their excitement. Its been years since either of them have talked to her, or even left the castle, but now the gates are open. Barry pines. Taako meets new people. Lup panics.

"Taako," a gruff voice sounded from the other side of a heavy oak door accompanied by forceful knocking. "Taako, wake up, bud. Today's the day." Taako rolled over in bed, pulling his sheets tighter to his body and yanking his pillow over his head. He let out a soft groan. The voice continued on, whoever was on the other side of the door more persistent than Taako would have preferred. Most of the castle staff knew to leave him be in the mornings if they couldn't get him up on the first try or else they'd have one pissy elf on their hands for the whole day. "Taako, I know how long you take to get ready. We've been looking forward to this since we were kids. I'm not going to let you make us late."

Reluctantly, Taako cracked open an eye only to close it again a moment later. Before his caller could start up on another heavy set of knocks, he managed to drag a hand through his tangled hair to push it out of his face enough to talk without getting a mouthful. When he spoke up, his voice was heavy, hoarse, and slurred form sleep. "Who 's it?"

He registered a sigh as his door was pushed open without permission and just barely resisted the urge to hide from the light that streamed in from the hall. Instead, he settled for glaring in the vague direction of the door. "Who do you think it is?" 

"Barry?" Taako squinted harder, making out the familiar shape of his best friend. He was shorter than Taako by at least a foot and lacked all of Taako's angular grace, but Taako had seen the way some of the girls in the castle fawned over him, so apparently short, pudgy, and sweet worked damn well for him. Now, why exactly was he here at the crack of dawn? If he thought about it, he remembered telling Barry to wake him up early. He just didn't really remember why. 

Barry sat at the foot of Taako's bed and let his hand rest gently atop the lump of covers he assumed to be Taako's legs. "You ready?" Taako shook off Barry's touch and received an eye roll in return. Barry's usual nervous smile remained. Taako chewed his lip lightly as he sat wondering what exactly he'd forgotten this time. Barry could tell he was struggling and answered for him. Taako's memory came and went as it pleased and had since he was a child. His aunt always claimed it was due to a bad head energy when he was much younger. It always seemed to be much worse in the mornings. "It's your sister's coronation day."

Lup's coronation day. Huh, that was nice. Auntie was going to be so proud. Taako smiled lazily, still mostly asleep. No, wait, he remembered now. His aunt wasn't around anymore. A few more seconds passed before he understood just why he was supposed to care about today's events as well. "Wait," he started slowly, clearing away what was left of his haze and confusion, "It's Lup's coronation day?" Barry nodded softly and Taako jolted up, almost kicking him off the end of the bed. "Lup's coronation day!" Taako tossed the covers off of himself and onto Barry, rushing to open his curtains and invite the sunlight in. Barry chuckled, pushing the heavy comforter off himself and back onto the mattress. "Barold," Taako turned back to him, eyes wide, sleep forgotten, "Why are you just sitting there? Do you know what this means?"

"We're going to get to see her again." Barry's voice was soft and full of hope, his gaze fond and directed down at his hands. He wrung them nervously in his lap. "She can't just go back to her room and hide behind her door." He laughed, sounding a little choked up and when he looked at Taako again, he was wearing a weak smile. "I wonder if she even remembers me after all this time. It's not like we see each other often." 

Taako watched him for a moment, shaking his head. How had Lup managed to steal this guy's entire heart even from behind closed doors? It was completely unfair if you asked him. He'd been locked up almost alone in this castle for thirteen years now after Lup went and disappeared on him, and no boys were chasing after him. If Lup just got her head out of her ass and her ass out of her room, she'd know she had people who cared. If anyone was going to be pursuing his twin sister, at least it was Barry. "Of course, she remembers you. Don't be dumb. She probably also remembers what a huge crush you have on her." He raised a brow in Barry's direction, challenging him to argue, and argue he did.

"I-I didn't have a crush on her! Don't. I don't have a crush on her. I just miss her is all. It's nothing like that I swear." Barry's face was quickly going red, and Taako's comforter somehow made it back into his hands, being crumpled furiously between them. 

"Sure you don't. It's not like you get this far off look when you talk about her or anything." Taako grinned and pulled a gown out of his wardrobe before slinking off behind the screened divider in the corner of his room to dress. It only took him a few moments to toss off the warm pajamas and step out in his dress, asking Barry to come button the back for him. The dress was designed for him specifically for this day. Long, blue, and silky, it flowed from a sheer top, littered with embroidered flowers, clung to his curves, and followed down his body to pool onto the floor around his feet. Once he was all fastened, he pulled on his boots and hurried over to the mirror. Situating his hair took him a lot longer than intended, and halfway through, he sent Barry off to go get dressed, but eventually he was able to sort out his tangles enough to twirl his hair into a neat bun at the back of his head, leaving two curls free to frame the sides of his face. He whistled at his reflection. "Lookin' pretty good if I do say so myself. Lup better not be counting on keeping that spotlight to herself today. I'm gonna woo the crowds and snag a guy before she can." 

With one last check and a huge grin, Taako left his room and was confronted by more sunlight than he could remember ever getting inside the castle halls. Each stained-glass window along the wall stood wide open, letting in the light, the breeze, and chatter of what sounded like an actual fuckton of people. He laughed, ears flying up and eyes going wide, suddenly giddy as he rushed forward to see the crowds gathering in the courtyard that had been empty for years. "Holy shit." It came out as a whisper at first, proof of his shock. "Holy shit!" 

He raced down the hall, surprisingly stable for someone in heeled boots. Familiar faces of castle staff who had practically raised him smiled knowingly as he passed them. Surely, they had missed this as much as he had after all this time. Of course, they'd all been allowed to go out, and he'd been totally cooped up. He reached the bottom of the stairs and found the castle doors standing wide open to reveal the snowy cobblestone outside. He glanced behind him for a moment, wondering if maybe he should stick around until the ceremony or at least wait for Barry before going out to explore, but decided against it. He'd just go out for a short time and be right back no problem. No one would even notice he's gone!

With this extra bit of confidence, he grabbed a coat from a rack nearby (no telling whose it was, but he didn't exactly care) and stepped outside, past the castle gates, and into the crowd. Families gathered around in their nicest clothes just waiting for the time to come to welcome his sister into the throne, people stood around stalls purchasing flowers and snacks, kids laughed and chased each other between legs, and everyone just seemed so happy. As if this wasn't good enough, people seemed to recognize him immediately and greeted him with warm smiles and well wishes. Taako couldn't keep himself from smiling back. It was unbelievable. He could have had this life all along if only his aunt and sister had relaxed a little and just let him out every now and then.

Taako made it out of the crowd and walked through the stalls set up along the streets, fascinated by all the vendors had to offer. He'd just stopped to sample a honeybun that had been offered his way when he felt a gentle tug on the bottom of his dress. Looking down he found a young drow girl, still holding onto the fabric with one hand, the other held behind her back. Now that she had his attention, she looked like she may bolt. "I knew she couldn't do it," a voice hissed from a small way off, causing both Taako's and the girl's ears to twitch in that direction. When he looked over, he could see two more girls her age, one an orc the other dragonborn, peeking around a distant stall. Taako chuckled and leaned down to her level. 

"Hey there, kiddo. Can I help you with something?"

A determined look flashed across her face and she thrust a flower at him from behind her back. It was small and a little bent up in the petals like maybe it had been pulled from a garden. "This is for you!" Her voice wavered form nerves, but Taako was pretty sure he could make out one hell of an accent there still. He took the flower from her and tucked it into his hair with a nod. 

"Thanks, small fry. You got a name, so I can give you full credit when I get compliments on it?" 

It was then that the dragonborn rushed forward to join them, quickly followed by the orc. "She's Ren, this is Killian, and I'm Carey!" She gave him a toothy grin, ignoring the glare Ren sent her way for being interrupted. "Are you the princess?" She leaned into his space even more. 

Ren gasped like she couldn't believe her friend would even ask something like that. "No, stupid, this is Prince Taako." She tugged Taako's dress again to regain his attention. "Aren't ya?"

Taako patted her hair fondly. "Yeah, you got it in one. It's me, Taako. Y'know from the castle." 

"A real prince, and I gave him a flower. I told you guys." She stuck her tongue out at Carey and Killian. "You're very pretty, sir. Just like a fairytale!" 

"Ah, shit, you're too sweet." He stood back up, dusting off his clothes. "Look, I don't have too long to be out here, I've got a ceremony to get to soon, but what would you three say to a couple honeybuns? On me." He handed off a generous amount of gold to the vendor, giving each of the girls the fresh desserts he was handed in return. They each thanked him enthusiastically and ran back to the crowd where he imagined their families must be, waving as they went. He snorted,  
sending a short wave back. He remembered when he, Lup, and Barry had been that small and excitable. Those were good times. 

He took a bite of his honeybun and started walking again. There was still a row of shops or two along the water's edge that he wanted to see before he headed back. He only made it so far before being stopped again much to his frustration. At least this time it was his fault for walking straight into a horse. He stumbled back, his heel catching on the cobblestone and effectively sending him over the walkway's edge and towards the water. He let out a yelp as he fell, eye's squeezing shut. Just his luck that he was going to manage to ruin his brand-new dress and hair just in time for the coronation. Instead of feeling water beneath him, however, Taako's ass met with something hard and dry. He opened his eyes to see he'd actually fallen into a docked boat. Before he had the chance to thank whatever gods were watching over him, someone was scrambling out of the wagon and over to him.

"Are you kidding me? How could you not see my carriage here? The last thing I need is to be paying for some idiot's medical bills for the rest of my life."

"Excuse me? You should try watching out next time, bub! You could have completely ruined my gown!" Taako huffed and tried to get up, the boat wobbling dangerously under him. The stranger offered Taako a hand and he took it, only just stopping himself from pulling him into the water when he actually caught a glimpse of his face. "Oh…" Shit, he was hot. And looked like he was Taako's age. And he wasn't wearing a ring. Taako allowed himself to be pulled up onto the street. 

Apparently, the guy finally saw who Taako was too, cause his face dropped and he immediately started apologizing. "Oh gods. You're the prince of Neverwinter. I'm so sorry. Are you okay? I can't believe I yelled at you like that. It was so rude of me. I'm sorry. It's been such a long day." He ran a hand through his hair, clearly nervous, before offering it to Taako. "I'm Sazed. I was invited to the castle for the princess's coronation on behalf of Glamour Springs. It's a pleasure to meet you." 

Taako put on a lazy smile and mustered up as much charm as he could, placing his hand in Sazed's. Sazed raised it to his lips and pressed a light kiss there on the back. Taako's smile grew. "The pleasure's all mine, babe. Now, relax, I'm not gonna smite you or anything. It was an accident." He paused, looking over his painted nails. "You could make it up to me by escorting me back to the palace though. Y'know, since you were headed there already." 

Sazed swallowed hard and nodded perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. "Yeah. Yes, I mean. Of course." Sazed lead him back to the carriage and helped him up into the seat. He sat beside him and they started off towards the castle once again.  
___  
Back in her room, Lup paced anxiously, staring out the window at the crowds. Today was the day. They'd opened the gates and prepared the whole palace for the celebration that would come with her being crowned queen. She felt like she was going to puke. 

She sat at the edge of her bed and removed the gloves that had become such a comfort to her in the past years and recalled everything her auntie had told her before she passed away. "It's okay, Lup. You've got this. Just don't freak out and everything will be okay." Her breath wavered, and her fingertips began to spark. She gasped softly, moving her hands out of her sight only to singe her bed sheets. "Fuck. Just breathe!" 

She calmed herself down enough to slip her gloves back on and to straighten out her hair. Looking at herself in the mirror, she wondered what Taako was wearing to the ceremony. Whatever it was, she was sure he looked incredible. He always did. She sighed, running her fingers through her loose curls. She was going to have to see him today and she knew he was going to want to actually talk and hang out like they did when they were kids. She wasn't even sure if she could do that anymore. Would Taako be mad at her? He couldn't understand why she disappeared like she did. Had he been lonely all these years? He had Barry with him, didn't he? Oh, she hadn't even thought of Barry. He was going to be there too, wasn't he? The last time she'd seen him he'd been in tears, begging the adults to leave his memory untouched. They'd forced him to forget anyway.

Her hands came up to her face, brushing away tears she didn't know were falling. Today was going to be fine. She wasn't going to lose control. Maybe she could prove herself today and everything could go back to normal. That would be her motivation. She was going to do this for Taako and Barry. Today was the start of the rest of her life. She was going to absolutely kill it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. I'm finally back with a new chapter, and I hope you enjoy. I'm finally on my spring break, so I can do some writing on this and my other fics. I have high hopes for this fic despite some troubles with characterization, and I hope you can all hang in there with me. Like always, if you enjoyed this chapter please send some love my way with kudos and comments!


	3. Coronation Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako arrives a little late to the coronation and Lup is freaking out, but they'll make it work.

The carriage ride back to the palace was short, but that didn’t stop Taako from getting to know it’s one other occupant a bit more on the way. Taako learned that Sazed was the youngest of seven brothers, all of whom were traveling halfway across the world right now and unable to come to the ceremony themselves, hence Sazed’s attendance. The kingdom he hailed from was small, but successful, with their economics focused mainly on tourism and textiles. His favorite color was green, he really liked this chicken dish his mom used to make, and his horse’s name was Geoffrey. Though he’d been abrasive at first, it seemed Sazed had done a complete 180 in attitude and was now open and friendly and, in Taako’s expert opinion, incredibly and almost unfairly attractive all the way from the loose curls of his hair and his little pointed canines to his perfectly polished boots. If Taako leaned into him a little more than was strictly necessary while sharing the seat with him, Sazed didn’t say anything. When it was time, Taako was reluctant to leave the carriage to be parked, wanting only to chat more, but only moments after he stepped out with Sazed’s help, Barry rushed to his side, red faced and out of breath. 

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. You were supposed to be at the chapel already so we can get on with the ceremony once all the guests fill in. If we take too long with the coronation ceremony, it will push back the afterparty and the food will all be room temperature and the guests will be tired, and-“

“They don’t need me that bad. All I have to do is stand there.” Taako waved a hand dismissively, turning back to Sazed with a smile. Behind him Barry let out an annoyed huff that Taako ignored easily. “Sorry, looks like I need to get going. Thanks for the ride back here.” Taako chewed at his bottom lip, rocking forward on his feet. “I expect to see you at the reception.”

Sazed took Taako’s hand and once again pressed a soft kiss to it that had Taako grinning. “Of course. I’ll save a dance for you.”

“Rad,” he sighed out. When he turned back to Barry, he was watching the two of them with an expression somewhere between confused and completely shocked. Taako let out an awkward laugh and grabbed his arm, pulling him away after giving Sazed one last little wave. They started their quick trek to the chapel where the coronation was being held. 

“Who the hell was that?” Barry leaned in close to Taako, keeping his voice low. 

“Oh, just someone I ran into while I was out. He offered me a ride back here, so I wouldn’t be late. Dreamy, isn’t he?”

“Taako, you _are_ late. How do you think your sister would feel to know you stood her up for some dude?” 

“I think she’d just be happy I finally found someone. I also think she’d say that you’re just jealous.”

“Jealous! I’m not jealous. Why would I be jealous?” Barry stopped walking, just looking at Taako with a frown. He rolled his eyes and tugged him until he followed again. “Wait, what did you mean you finally found someone?”

“I mean, Barold, that I’m interested. Very, very interested.”

“But you just met him.”

“Not everyone gets to have a secret crush on their friend from the time they’re like four. This is my situation, and its fine. Taako knows what he’s doing. Now shut it.” 

The two guards at the chapel doors recognized Taako as soon as they saw him and with bow they opened the heavy doors inside. Taako started in, but Barry hung back, peeking around him to the space up front where Lup stood, wringing her gloved hands nervously. She glanced up at the two of them with a smile and wiggled her fingers in a tiny wave. Barry’s cheeks went red and he ducked his head nervously. He pat Taako’s shoulder. “I’ll uh see you after the ceremony then. Good luck.”

As soon as Taako stepped inside, he was ushered up to the front of the chapel to stand just off to the side of the small altar there. An older woman he recognized from the palace informed him that he was to “stand there quietly and respectfully” while Lup was being crowned. She reminded him how much people were looking forward to seeing the two of them and that it was important to make a good impression. Taako listened as much as he could, but ultimately was distracted at having his twin this close. It felt like centuries since he’s actually seen her face. Sure, they saw each other briefly when she came out for food, but other than that she was a complete shut-in. 

He found himself surprised at just how much she looked like him, like a mirror image aside from the short hair that stopped just before her shoulders. They’d dressed her in a gown similar to his but in warm shades of red and orange that would surely compliment the sparkling golden crown just waiting to be hers. Taako’s eyes met hers, and already his heart was racing with excitement. A timidly excited smile pulled at his lips. Lup gave him a small nod, but her smile didn’t quite have that same joy. Looking at her face more closely, Taako could immediately tell she’d been crying recently. Her make-up was immaculate still, but her eyes were noticeably red and puffy. Her shoulders hunched just slightly like she was trying to hide in herself and, as tight as she clasped her hands together in front of her, they shook. Taako didn’t know what was wrong. He wanted to ask, to help, but before he knew it, guests were piling in and the voices of a choir rose around the room, singing some old elvish hymn he was sure he’d never heard and never cared to hear again. 

The ceremony, despite only being a half hour or less in reality, felt like it took forever. Taako tried his hardest not to fidget as they droned on through all the traditional prayers and blessings. If it was up to him they’d just let Lup have the stupid crown already and let them all leave for the party, so he could actually have a chance to talk to her. He distracted himself by scanning the crowd for people he knew, though there were very few of those still. Sazed was easy enough to find, seated close to the front. He noticed Taako’s gaze directed his way and waved as discreetly as he could. Taako held back a chuckle as he waved back. Looking past the open doors of the chapel, Taako spotted the three little girls from town amongst those who weren’t exactly deemed important enough to come inside. He was glad they were able to watch anyway because they looked up there at Lup like she’d hung the moon, and honestly, Taako could relate. His sister was beautiful and cool, and after today they were going to be best friends just like before. Lup was going to be a kickass queen with and open kingdom and lots of love to spare. Taako couldn’t wait.

_

Lup was freaking the fuck out. She had known what to expect on her coronation day, been warned of the crowds of adoring citizens, but she had never expected _this_. The chapel was packed tight and not a single pair of eyes dared look away from her. She had no idea how she appeared on the outside, but in that moment, she felt like she might just pass out. She went through the motions of her coronation, mind far, far away until-

“Excuse me, your highness,” a soft voice spoke up from in front of her and she snapped back to attention. Her hands were reaching out for the ornate orb and scepter being held out her way. She didn’t remember them ever moving from her side. “You’ll need to remove your gloves for this part.” Lup blinked at the priestess before looking down at her hands. Her gloves. Right. That would be just fine. She’d practiced this. With a deep breath, Lup pulled her gloves off, one at a time, resting them neatly in the crook of her elbow. Her hands shook as she took the regalia. Already, she could feel the metal heating up under her fingers and she only hoped they didn’t melt.

She sped through her oath and prayers and the second the crown was placed on her head, declaring her queen, she placed both objects back down. There were angry, red indents in the metal where her fingers rested just moments before, but she didn’t have time to worry over them as the kingdom of Neverwinter rose in raucous applause. Lup laughed nervously, holding back tears. That wasn’t so bad. She did it, and it was over. She was the queen and she was going to be okay. 

As the rest of the kingdom made their ways out of the chapel to prepare for the rest of the night’s festivities, Taako and Lup were lead out of a separate door to avoid the crowd. The moment they stepped outside, Lup felt a hand slip into her own. She looked to the side where her twin brother beamed over at her, the gap in his front teeth as prominent as ever against his colorful lipstick. 

“You did great, Lulu. I’m digging the crown. It’s very-“ he twirled a finger around by her head, “you.” 

Despite the distance that had grown between them in all the years spent apart, Lup felt the day’s pressure begin to lift from her shoulders just with Taako’s presence. “Thanks, Koko… You look beautiful.”

Taako snorted, “Oh, I know. You ready to partay?” 

Lup laughed, squeezing his hand. “Hell yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there. I'm so sorry this took so long. Depression's been kicking my ass, but here I am getting things done again. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Things should be kicking off next chapter, but first we've got to trudge through some Sazed time.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on tumblr @cantripconundrum if you've got any questions or even if you just wanna chat. If you're enjoying this work please feel free to check out my other stuff. As always, feel free to leave comments and kudos. I eat them up.


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